Eyes of a Child
by Terrie
Summary: A series of short stories looking at the Digidestined from the view of an outsider lucky enough to be looking in.
1. The Dawning

**Author's series note**: This is a series of short (quite short in some cases) stories about a young girl growing up among the digi-destined we know and love. Kimiko belongs to me. Please don't use her. I've had a lot of questions on if she'll be digidestined. Right now, I don't know. Kimiko says yes, Ken says no. Ken's pulling the "older and wiser" crap, so right now, don't hold your breath. This series is m/m and f/f friendly, and same sex pairings may and do occur. In order, the stories are as follows: 

The Dawning  
Family Bonds  
A Flash of the Past  
Moment Interrupted **_NEW!_**  
Secret Friends  


**The Dawning**  
by Terrie (striket@stu.beloit.edu)

Ken hung his feet off the edge of the bridge and skimmed his toes over the surface of stream. Wormmon cuddled up to him and he stroked the gentle digimon's head. "Do you think he'll be here soon?" 

"I'm sure he will, Ken. But do go easy on him. You knew when you called that he's not the most punctual." 

"I know. I just really want to talk to someone about this." 

Wormmon looked up at him. "You could talk to me." 

"I wish I could." Ken smiled down at his digimon. "But this is a human thing, and I think it's best that I talk to a human about it." 

"I understand. But if that's the case, was Daisuke the best person to call?" 

Ken laughed. "Maybe not. But he's a good friend. So he'll have to do." 

As if those words had conjured him, Daisuke came running up, his face red and gasping for breath, "Ken, hey! I hope you haven't been waiting too long. I couldn't find one of my shoes. So, why'd you want to talk? And how come here instead of on the phone? If we'd talked on the phone, I wouldn't have wasted time looking for my shoe. Oh, hey, Wormmon!" 

"I didn't want to talk on the phone, because I didn't want my parents to over hear us. I wouldn't want them to worry." 

"Worry about what?" 

"My mom's pregnant. She's going to have a baby." 

Daisuke frowned. "Why would your parents worry about that? I thought that was a good thing." 

"They wouldn't. They'd worry if they knew I was worried." 

"Okay, now I'm confused. Your parents aren't worried, but they would be, because you're worried. Why are you worried? I think you'd be happy. You're gonna be a big brother!" 

"What kind of big brother would I be?" Ken gestured around the park. "Welcome to the world, kid. And special for you, we have the Digimon Emperor." 

"Former Digimon Emperor." Daisuke snorted. "I can't believe we're back to that. Get over it, Ken. Everyone else has." 

"What?" 

"Unless you're worried you're going to guilt the kid to death, you have nothing to worry about. C'mon, everyone screws up. You just... screwed up a bit bigger than most." 

"I nearly destroyed an entire world." 

"So? The Digital World is still there. Hey, Wormmon, you forgive Ken, right?" 

"Of course I do." The tiny digimon climbed into Ken's lap. 

"Wormmon has to forgive me. He's my digimon partner. He's biased." 

"Well, Veemon forgives you. So does Hawkmon, and Armidillomon, and Gatomon, and Patamon. If you want anything more, we're going to have to take a survey." 

"When I went to Primary Village, looking for Wormmon, so many of the digimon there hated me." 

"Of course they did. You'd done some really bad stuff, and they weren't sure if the change was for real. But after everything you've done, no one could doubt it." 

"Thanks." 

There was a pause and Daisuke looked embarrased. "Ken... You're not Sam, if that's what you're worried about." 

"How... How did you know about that?" Ken stared at him, unsure of what to think. 

"I asked your mom once about the picture in the living room. She said that she sometimes thought he had to die for all four of you to really be a family. That before, it was the three of them and you left over. That's not going to happen this time." 

"I hated him sometimes. Most of the rest of the time I was so angry with him. I blamed him for so much, for so long." 

"What about the good times?" asked Daisuke. 

"There were some. I was still pretty young when he died." 

"So, use those as your model. Avoid the stuff that hurt you. Just love the squirt no matter who he or she is." 

"That's good advice," said Ken. 

"Yeah, now if only someone would give it to Jun." ****

The End


	2. Family Bonds

**Family Bonds**  
by Terrie (striket@stu.beloit.edu) 

_Author's note: According to the sources I've looked at, Kimiko translates as something along the lines of exceptional, heavenly, or righteous child. _

Ken looked down at the occupant of the crib. "Kimiko, huh?" 

His father nodded. "We thought she could use a leg up on her brother. And she is a special kid." 

"Yeah." 

Father and son watched the infant for a bit longer. "I'm going to go check on your mother. Will you be all right here, Ken?" 

"Uh-huh." Ken didn't turn away from the crib as his father left the room. He smiled at his baby sister. "Hey, Kimiko, I'm your brother, Ken." 

The tiny infant blinked up at him, screwed up her face and began to cry. Ken cringed and glanced towards the door, waiting for one of his parents to come and do something. This was definitely not the way he'd wanted to start his career as a big brother. When neither of his parents came running, he edged closer to the crib. He was a genius; he could figure this out. Now, why did babies cry. Because they were hungry. Well, he wasn't equipped for that. What else? Because they needed their diaper changed. He carefully picked her up, cradling her head the way his parents had shown him. He sniffed. No, that wasn't it. Kimiko started to cry even louder. Ken looked at the door, waiting for his parents to come save him. 

His dad came to door. Ken held the baby out towards him. "Take it!" 

"I have a better idea." He led him over to the rocking chair in the nursery's corner and sat him down, with Kimiko in his lap. He held out a bottle. "Why don't you feed her?" 

Ken took the bottle from his hands and stared at it. "I don't know. Don't babies throw up after you feed them?" 

"Sometimes. If that part bothers you, your mom or I will handle it." 

Ken brought the nipple of the bottle down to Kimiko's mouth. She latched onto it and began to suck away greedily. "She's hungry." 

"Well, most babies are. They have a lot of growing to do." 

Kimiko finished the bottle. She looked up him and yawned. Ken handed her over to his father. "Dad, do you think I'll be a good big brother?" 

His father looked at him, startled. "Of course you will. You can do anything you put your mind to." 

Ken leaned on the crib railing, studying his little sister. "I suppose." 

"Ken... I know things weren't the best after Sam died. Your mother and I put way too much pressure on you. But things have gotten so much better since... since you came back. We're going to be a family. A great one. I know it. 

"I tell you what. In a few days, when your mom's up to tackling motherhood on her own, we'll spend the day together, just you and me. We'll go shopping and put together a big brother kit." 

"What's a big brother kit?" 

His father laughed. "I'm not sure. We'll make it up as we go along. You'll need a lock on your door. Your mother and I may respect your privacy, but I can promise you, in a few years, it'll be the only thing keeping her out of your stuff." 

"Can we get one of those custom tee-shirts to read 'World's Best Big Brother'? Because that's what I want to be." 

"Anything you want." 

"Can we.." Ken glanced over at the crib again. "Can we get something for Kimiko?" 

"Why for her?" 

"Well, I wouldn't be a big brother without her." 

"Sure. Should we get something for me and your mom? You wouldn't have a little sister without us." 

"Daaad!" Ken blushed. "I'm too young to hear things like that." 

**The End**


	3. A Flash of the Past

_Author's note: Kimiko is about four or five, and Ken is fifteen or sixteen._

**A Flash of the Past**  
by Terrie(striket@stu.beloit.edu)

Miko stared at the door. Her brother's room was always closed and locked when he wasn't around. And sometimes even when he was. Ken didn't like her in there and was okay with doing whatever it took to keep her out. But he must have been in a hurry today, because the door was partially open. And she knew he wasn't there -- she'd heard him leave not long ago. 

She looked up and down the hallway. Her father was at work, and her mother was in the kitchen. She edged towards the door and looked in. "Hello? Ken?" 

There was no answer and she pushed the door open further. The room was empty. Ken's bed was unmade, and on the desk, his computer sat, its screen softly glowing. She looked at it curiously, but didn't touch it. The computer was off-limits. 

She wandered around the room, examining everything. He had shelves full of books, but not too many of them had pictures. And the ones that did, didn't have stories in them. His soccer ball was sitting next to his bed. She was allowed to play with that, but not inside. 

She climbed up into the chair at the desk. She wasn't allowed to touch the computer, but there were other things up there, like the picture of her brother and the other boy, Daisuke. He came over a lot and was always really nice to her. Ken said that Daisuke was his best friend, which explained why he came over all the time. But sometimes they went into Ken's room and closed the door, and Miko wasn't allowed to bother them. She didn't have a best friend yet, but when she did, she wouldn't close the door and make her brother go away. She'd let him stay and have fun. 

She was reaching for the picture when something new caught her eye. It was small, like a hand-held radio, or one of the electronic pets, with a small screen. The casing was black and dark grey. She picked it up and slide down to the floor. 

She sat the thing down and examined it carefully. There were a couple buttons along one side, but nothing happened when she pressed them. She turned it over in her hands, trying to figure out how to turn it on, but she'd pressed all the buttons and they hadn't worked. 

"Miko!" Her brother's voice was harsh and angry. She dropped the thing in surprise and turned around. Ken stood in the doorway, his hands on his hips. She'd rarely seen him that angry before, and she wondered what she'd done that was so bad. "What do you think you're doing in here? You know you're not supposed to be in here. And you're not supposed to be going through my stuff!" 

Ken picked the thing up off the floor and looked it over. "You're lucky it's not broken." 

Miko sniffled. "I'm sorry." 

Ken sighed and sat down in front of her. "I know you didn't mean any harm. But you did break the rules. You're not allowed in here without me. And you know that. This," he held out the small black and grey thing, "is like the computer. It's a tool, not a toy. You can look at it if you want to, but only when I'm around and only if you ask first. Okay?" 

"Can I look at it now?" 

"No. Consider that your punishment for coming into my room when I wasn't here." Ken stood up and set the thing back on his desk. 

"But you said I could look at it if I asked first." 

"But you also did something you're not supposed to. Will you agree with my choice, or should I tell mom you were in my room?" He held his hand out to her. "Now, why don't we go set the table for dinner?" 

"Okay." Pouting, Miko slipped her hand into her brother's bigger one and let him lead her from the room. She glanced back to look at the thing on his desk and then Ken shut the door. She headed towards the kicthen and let herself forget about it. Anyway, it wasn't important. 

**The End**


	4. Moment Interrupted

**Moment Interrupted**  
by Terrie (striket@stu.beloit.edu) 

_Author's Notes: Look out below! We have m/m up ahead. If this bother's you, I suggest you take your cue form Monty Python and "Run Away!" Seriously, folks, there are warning at the beginning and warnings here. So if you come looking and are angry about what you found.... Tough. You knew what it was. You may not like the couples I like, but remember, it probably works both ways. Miko's about six, putting Ken and company at about 16 or 17. _

Ken looked down at Miko. The first two fingers of her left hand had worked their way to her mouth and she sucked noisily at them. Ken slipped them out of her mouth and tucked the blankets more tightly around her. He slipped into the hallway and carefully shut the door behind him. "She's asleep." 

Daisuke slipped an arm around Ken's waist. "When are your parents going to be home?" 

"Not for a few hours." 

"That's good." He managed to work his fingers underneath Ken's shirt and ran them lightly across the skin at the small of his back. Ken gasped in surprised and jerked forward into Daisuke's arms. 

Daisuke nuzzled the other boy's neck. "I think I like this." 

"Don't." 

"Why not?" 

"Because if we don't move, we're going to wake Miko up." 

"Fine." Daisuke grinned. "Couch or bed?" 

The thought of Daisuke in his bed was tempting, but had too much chance to get out of hand. They were supposed to be baby-sitting Miko. "Couch. You are horrid." 

"Maybe. But you like it." Daisuke swung Ken up into his arms, then marched over to dump him on the couch. He looked down at Ken. "You are so beautiful." 

Ken stretched out on the couch, striking a decadent pose. "Only for you, love. Always for you." 

Daisuke pressed his lips to Ken's throat, feeling the his pulse beneath his tongue. Ken slipped his hands beneath Daisuke's shirt to run his hands along the other boy's spine and ribs. Daisuke shivered under the assault. His hands reached down to skim Ken's waistline and he suppressed the urge to reach lower. A sudden noise made him look up. Miko stood there, his D-terminal in her hands. She held it out to Ken. 

"I got up to get a drink of water and it beeped at me. Do you have to go into the computer? Can I go with you?" She suddenly turned to Daisuke. "Are you going to kiss him again?" 

Daisuke buried his face in Ken's chest and laughed, while Ken tried to lever him off so that he could sit up and take the D-terminal from Miko. He read over the message, then tossed the device to Daisuke. "You should go. It sounds pretty severe." 

"You're not coming?" 

"Someone has to stay here with Miko, and Wormmon can't armour-digivolve. It's better if you go." 

"But what if I need you to DNA digivolve?" 

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" mumbled Ken, before adding, a bit more loudly, "If you need me, just call." 

"Got it." Daisuke planted a kiss on his cheek, then took off down the hall for Ken's room an the computer within. 

Miko looked up at her brother. "How come I never get to go into the computer?" 

"You're too young." Ken swung her up into his arms. "Now, back to bed with you." 

**The End**


	5. Secret Friends

**Secret Friends**  
by Terrie (striket@stu.beloit.edu)

_Author's Note: Set when Kimiko is about twelve. Ah, the dreaded teenybopper age._

Kimiko shuffled her feet and pulled her coat more tightly around her. "How much longer are we going to have to wait?" 

Shina jumped up and down in excitement. "Who cares? I have been looking forward to this all month. I'll wait all day if I have to." 

"But it's *cold* out." 

"Kimi, this is Yamato. Who cares how cold it is or how long we have to wait," said Hanae. "How often do we get a chance like this?" 

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "You guys are pathetic." 

"Who cares? He's gorgeous!" 

"Shina, he's fifteen years older than you." 

"Fifteen years, and four months. He turns twenty-nine next month. I can never remember the days." 

"This is ridiculous. He has a *boy*friend." 

"Do you really believe all that trash they print in the tabloids? I've seen him in the society pages surrounded by women." 

"And thirty seconds later, Tai kicked all their asses," mumbled Kimiko. 

"What did you say?" 

"Hm? Oh, nothing." She looked down the line. "Hey, we're almost inside!" 

Shina squealed. "Oooo, I can't wait." 

"We know," said Kimiko. "You've said that before. Several times." 

"Oh, cheer up, Kimi," said Hanae. "When we get there, you'll be as excited as we are." 

"I really doubt that." 

***

Matt leaned his chin and his hand and suppressed a yawn. He'd been signing autographs for hours and his hand was starting to cramp. He glanced down the line and smiled. Looked like things were starting to look up. He spent the next few minutes hurrying through the autographs and keeping an eye on the small group, until they reached the table. "Ladies. What can I do for you?" 

The first girl, with a dark brown pageboy, pushed a copy of his latest album. "Can you sign to Shina?" 

"Sure." He scribbled a short message on the CD insert, before turning to the girl's friend. "And what about for you?" 

She handed him a standard publicity shot. "My name is Hanae." 

Repeat with slight variation. Finally, Matt turned to the third member of the group with his first genuine smile of the day. "And you are?" 

"Unimpressed." 

"C'mon, what would you like?" 

"How about less bullshit?" 

"Miko! Do your parents know you talk like that?" 

Kimiko glared. "Hey, I'm not the one letting twelve year old girls throw themselves at me while my boyfriend is at home by his poor lonesome self." 

"Tai is at work. And leave him out of this." Matt grinned. "Now, come here and let me give my biggest fan a huge." 

"I'm not a fan, Matt. The only reason I have your stuff is that you keep giving copies to my brother and he foists them off on me." 

Hanae tugged on her sleeve. "Kimi..." 

She glanced around. "Hanae's right. We should get out of the way and let you finish." 

Kimiko dragged her two friends out of the store. Shina stared at her. "You know him? You know Yamato?" 

She shrugged. "He's a friend of my brother's." 

"And you never told us?!" 

She looked at the other two girls. "What was I supposed to say? You two would have wanted to meet him, and there's no way he'd want two of friends drooling over him like a couple of crazed fangirls. Even if they are my best friends." 

"So why come along if you didn't want us to know?" 

"Because it's Saturday. And we always spend Saturdays together. And you'd never forgive me if I skipped out just because I didn't want you to find out." Kimiko slumped in defeat. "It was kinda a lose-lose situation." 

"I don't believe you sometimes, Kimi," said Hanae. "We tell you everything about ourselves, and you hold back on something this big?" 

"I'm sorry, okay?" 

"Sorry isn't enough. You lied to us. Come on, Shina, I think we have better things to do." 

Kimiko watched her friends go, then slunk back into the store. She ducked under the rope that separated Matt's table from the rest of the store. The bodyguard moved to stop her, but Matt held him off with a wave of his hand. "Hey, Miko, what's wrong?" 

"My friends sorta bailed on me. They were angry that I'd never told them I knew you. Can I get a ride home when you're done?" 

"Sure. Haro, can you get her a chair?" He added to her, "Sorry, but I think we're going to be here a while longer." 

***

Kimiko flipped through the channels on the tv, trying to drown out her mother puttering around in the kitchen. Normally, it didn't bother her, but this was her mother's 'I'm here if you need me' puttering, rather than her standard 'Maintaining a happy household' puttering. When she didn't take advantage of it, her parents would called Ken and ask him to find out what was bothering her. It was an age-old ritual. As old as Kimiko's age. 

There was a knock on the door and her mother went to answer it. "Miko, sweetie, it's Hanae." 

Frowning, she pulled herself off the couch and went to the door. Hanae stood there, her arms crossed, and a scowl on her face. "Shina and I have been talking. She'd be here to say the same thing, but she has to go to some recital of her cousin's. We've decided that we're both still mad at you. We're mad that you could have gotten us to the front of the line, and you didn't! We wasted our entire Saturday standing in line when we didn't have to." 

Kimiko blinked. "Um, can you run that by me again?" 

"You know Yamato. You could have gotten us to the front of the line and we would have been out of there in no time, instead of spending hours in line." 

".... Actually, I'm not sure I could have done that. I don't think the store would have let him." 

"Oh." Hanae frowned. "Well, anyway, Shina and I are both sorry about yesterday. When my mom came to pick us up and I told her why you weren't there, she got really mad. She said that even if we had promised to tell each other everything, Yamato is your brother's friend, which means it's not something about you." 

Kimiko smiled. "Thanks. I wanted to tell you. But I was worried that he'd be mad. I mean, he's known my brother longer than I've been alive. He used to baby-sit me. He's even changed my diapers. If he wanted to, he could humiliate me in front of all Japan." 

"You had your diapers changed by Yamato? That is so cool." 

Kimiko glared at Hanae. The other girl smiled. "I'm kidding. Friends?" 

"Always." 

**The End**


End file.
